Britishvolt appoints Isobel Sheldon as Chief Strategy Officer

Following the news that Wales is the preferred location for Britishvolt’s proposed UK Gigafactory, Britishvolt has appoint Isobel Sheldon, as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and Head of the Advisory Board.

Having amassed nearly 20 years of Lithium ion battery industry experience, Sheldon joins the company from the government-backed UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) – which aims to transition the country into a world leader in cell design, development and manufacture for vehicle electrification – where she served as director of business development. Prior to this, she held senior leadership positions within global companies, recently serving as engineering and technology director at Johnson Matthey Battery Systems, where she led the technical strategy and execution within the battery systems business.

Isobel Sheldon, chief strategy officer at Britishvolt commented: “As one of the first pioneers to integrate lithium ion batteries in road vehicles, including the first commercially available Plug in Hybrid in the world based on the Toyota Prius hybrid in 2003, I have developed a wealth of knowledge on a wide range of disciplines – from cell technology, chemistries and system integration to how the global industry and supply chain works, as well as the processes involved in manufacturing the cells. I take great pride in having grown over time with this nascent industry, which is now of global strategic significance as the world transitions to electrification and green technologies, having learnt some hard lessons through trial and error to spot the industry’s pitfalls and opportunities.”

According to Sheldon, the initial work is critical to the project: “These first few months will be of huge importance, as Britishvolt lays the foundation from which the whole enterprise will be built. As we go forward with the planning phase, our strategy will be to focus on which technology choices we will carry forward, the location of the facility, and identify the key personnel that will be required to build a roadmap for the future.

“This is not only one of the most exciting green projects currently taking place in the world, for both the automotive and energy sectors, but will be of huge national importance as the UK Government looks to fulfil its green agenda and meet its Road to Zero targets. The lithium ion cell industry is one of the fastest growing and dynamic areas of modern technology at the moment, which Britishvolt’s 30 plus GWh gigafactory is ideally positioned to capitalise on, potentially creating more than 4,000 jobs for the UK economy.”

Lars Carlstrom, founder and CEO at Britishvolt commented: “Isobel was the perfect fit for this hugely significant role, as she has a rare skillset and the background to understand both the technical and chemical aspects of batteries – whilst being able to implement this into a business paradigm to create value for our shareholders. As the birthplace of lithium ion, the UK was a natural choice for us to build a gigafactory, as it remains internationally renowned for its academic excellence in lithium ion research and development. Leveraging Isobel’s global network, from over twenty years of working in the industry, will help establish Britishvolt and the UK as a world-class competitive battery manufacturing hub for sustainable energy storage, and vehicle electrification moving forward.”